Tuesday, November 19, 2013

"It is with deep sadness that The Walt Disney Family Museum must share that Diane Disney Miller has passed away. Diane died of complications from a fall.

Diane was the eldest daughter of Walt and Lillian Disney, wife to Ron Miller, mother of seven children, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, and an inspiration to us all.

Words cannot begin to express our sadness at Diane’s death. She was an extraordinary philanthropist and enthusiastic supporter of the arts. Diane carried on her father’s legacy with dignity, grace, and devotion.

While the family appreciates your thoughts and prayers, we kindly request that their privacy is respected at this time.

In lieu of flowers and gifts, donations may be made to the memorial fund that The Walt Disney Family Museum has created in honor of Diane Disney Miller. Donations will support the museum's ongoing education efforts, exhibitions, and programs. Donations and cards can also be sent to the family through The Walt Disney Family Museum, attn: Director's Office; 104 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94129.

Services will be private and the museum has not yet planned a public commemoration of Diane, but a possible program or event may be scheduled in the future."

Thursday, November 14, 2013

I received the following statement from Precious Moments regarding the future of the Walt Disney Classics Collection:

"We truly appreciate the fans and collectors who have been eagerly awaiting the Walt Disney Classics Collection product launch by Precious Moments Incorporated®. After extensive consultation with Disney®, we have jointly decided not to move forward with the release of the collection. The Walt Disney Classics Collection will be placed into the “vault” alongside other cherished Disney classics.

We invite you to continue to celebrate Disney characters and stories with the beautifully crafted collectibles available in the Disney Showcase Collection by Precious Moments. These exquisite pieces are available at Disney Theme Parks, DisneyStore.com, PreciousMoments.com, and specialty retailers.

Thank you for your continued support of Precious Moments Incorporated."

galleries of the film’s matte paintings,
and an interactive map of the Walt Disney Studios

featuring locations used in Saving Mr. Banks.

BURBANK,
Calif. – November 4, 2013 – To celebrate the release of Saving Mr. Banks and the upcoming 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins, D23: The Official Disney
Fan Club has dedicated the entire winter issue of its flagship magazine, Disney
twenty-three, to our beloved nanny. The publication, available
exclusively to Gold Members of D23, includes exclusive interviews with Saving Mr. Banks stars Tom Hanks, Emma
Thompson, and Bradley Whitford, as well as
director John Lee Hancock. It takes readers behind the scenes of the making of
this spectacular new film, which opens this Christmas and looks at the creation
of Disney’s Mary Poppins and the sometimes
combative but respectful relationship between the character’s creator, P.L.
Travers (Thompson), and Walt Disney (Hanks).

Disney twenty-three’sWinter
issue also offers a look inside the fascinating life of P.L. Travers, with a personal reminiscence by her friend, author Brian
Sibley, whom she once told, “I don’t feel for a moment that I invented her. I
feel visited by her.” And original film composer Richard M. Sherman, visual consultant
Tony Walton, and choreographers Marc Beaux and Dee Dee Wood offer exclusive
insight into the creation of the 1964 Disney classic, which will officially
celebrate its 50th anniversary next August.

Also
included in the Winter issue of Disney
twenty-three:

A
first-person account of the creation of the stage musical Mary Poppins from Disney Theatrical
Productions president Thomas Schumacher

“Elements
of Fun,” looking at 50 years of unique “Mary merchandise”

An
in-depth look at the film’s groundbreaking special effects

A
walk down the red carpet for the Mary
Poppins premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

All
D23 Members are invited to visit www.D23.com, where the fan club is kicking
off its year-long celebration of Mary
Poppins’ 50th anniversary with a
unique video reconstruction of the Mary Poppins world premiere,
containing five minutes of never-before-released material. Although the
original telecast of the event appears to have been lost forever, this
22-minute segment includes audio from the premiere’s two separate interview
locations, combined with all the surviving color film and black-and-white
newsreel footage—re-creating the excitement and glamour of this stellar
premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 27, 1964.